1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method which are applied to receive, for example, digital television broadcasting, and record content of the received program.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known information processing apparatuses, connected to a receiving device of digital television broadcasting, that record content (video information and/or audio information) of a received program on a recording medium such as a hard disk. The information processing apparatuses of the related art have a function for automatically delimiting the program by chapter by perceiving the change of a motion picture and a voice during the recording of the received program. Information indicating delimitation of the chapter is referred to as a chapter mark. Similarly to the content, the chapter mark is recorded on the recording medium.
The chapter mark is generated by a scene detection algorithm. The scene detection algorithm detects a commercial (hereinafter, referred to as a CM (Commercial message)), detects a stereo voice in a silent state, and detects switching of sound of a boundary and the like of a music and a conversation, or switching of video having a great scene change. Delimitation of the chapter is, for example, delimitation of a program main part and a CM, a start point and an end point of an interval of program advertising within the program main part, and a start point or an end point of an interval of program opening or program ending, and the like. When a change of video is represented, a change of video (switching of a scene) having the shortest time is referred to as a cut, a collection of a plurality of cuts is referred to as a scene, and a collection of one or plural scenes is referred to as a chapter. In an actual device, the number of creatable chapters is ordinarily limited. In the present specification, delimitation of the chapter and delimitation of the scene are collectively referred to as delimitation.
It is possible for a user to reproduce only the user's favorite chapter by selecting a chapter which is automatically set. When a hard disk is used as a recording medium, it is possible to reproduce a prerecorded part without waiting for recording to end while continuing recording of a program. Such a reproducing method is referred to as follow-up reproduction. Even at the time of follow-up reproduction, it is preferable to be capable of reproducing a favorite chapter by using the chapter mark. A function for assigning a chapter during recording is necessary to realize the follow-up reproduction.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-260847 discloses the configuration in which the switching time of a scene is stored, focused on video of multimedia data, and when the interval is a multiple of 15 seconds during switching of the past several scenes, the time interval is determined to be a commercial. When the turn of a scene (cut) is 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 1 minute (a multiple of 15 seconds), it is determine to be a CM.